March 15, 2013

“Thank you for being such a kind, caring and loving person and physician. I am so grateful to be under your care!”

Praise like that is music to the ears of physicians. Then again, Stacey Watson, MD, Vice President of Clinical Integration for Borgess Medical Center, often receives such words of appreciation from her patients and other admirers, including her colleagues at Borgess.

“Dr. Watson lives the Borgess reputation,” said Robert Hill, MD, Vice President of Medical Affairs, Borgess Health. “She bears the mark of excellence that our physicians exhibit and she exemplifies the Borgess guiding principle of connecting with people at many different levels to foster an environment for better healing.”

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr. Watson on patient care,” said Rebecca Reynolds, Certified Medical Assistant, Borgess Internal Medicine. “It’s easy to see why Dr. Watson’s patients would take the time to write such wonderful tributes. She truly is a partner in health for her patients’ life journey.”

For Dr. Watson, it’s all in a day’s work. “I believe medicine is a special calling,” she said. “The medical profession beckoned me years ago because it involved engaging and connecting with people to live better lives. All the physicians at Borgess are strongly committed to providing holistic, spiritually centered care.”

To honor the devotion of Borgess physi-cians, the health ministry designates a day every year to thank them for their work. Doctors’ Day on March 30, 2013, will honor the hundreds of outstanding physicians who live the Borgess reputa-tion. The observance will also enable anyone to name a physician they wish to recognize and submit, if they wish, a donation of $25, $50, $75, $100 or more to the Borgess Foundation.

Doctors’ Day benefitsDonations for Doctors’ Day benefit Borgess physicians and their patients by supporting health programs and critical equipment at the health ministry.

“The comments we hear from our patients about their Borgess Doctors are absolutely heart-warming. We know our physicians are the best,” said Tony

Doctors live the Borgess reputation

McDonnell, Chief Development Officer, Borgess Foundation.

McDonnell continued: “These wonderful accolades and gifts made in honor of our physicians lend further credence to the special devotion and care Borgess physi-cians provide to their patients. We encour-age everyone to honor a physician who has touched their life or a loved one’s life on Doctors’ Day. Their name, along with their doctor’s name, will be featured in a special Doctors’ Day (March 30) posting on the Borgess Foundation website.”

Donation cards are available at the Borgess Foundation office – Suite 300, Medical Specialties Building – or dona-tions can be made online at foundation.borgess.com. Persons seeking additional information may call the Foundation at (269) 226.8100.

New Medical Facility in DeltonBorgess Health is expanding services for residents in northeast Kalamazoo County and southern Barry County seeking such services as blood draws and x-rays.

Borgess Medical Commons-Delton, a new medical facility, is now open in the Delton Medical Center and next door to the family practice of Joseph Roth, DO. The Medical Commons is located at 11320 S. M-43, Suite 2, in Delton. It offers one-stop care, including:

� Diagnostic imaging � Laboratory services � Cardiology, orthopedic and other specialty health clinics

For information on Borgess Medical Commons-Delton, call (269) 623.2334 or visit www.borgess.com.

Borgess Medical Commons in the Delton

Medical Center.

Dr. Stacey Watson shows why Borgess doctors are appreciated

This is where...

The second informational meeting on Symphony was held on Monday, March 4, in the LEC Auditorium.

Patrick Dyson, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Services for Borgess Health, led the overview on Symphony for Borgess managers and directors, some of whom were receiving information on Symphony for the first time. Symphony’s impact on Finance, Human Resources and Supply Chain at Borgess was presented by representatives from the respective functional areas. The main theme of the meeting focused on scope of Symphony changes, plus policies and practices impacted, and timeframes.

“We must be as ready as possible to implement Symphony by October of this year,” Dyson told the group. “It’s important that everyone under- stands Symphony, how it impacts our operations and how we communicate with each other to implement changes.

“We have to recognize that the deployment period will bring a flurry of activity requiring teamwork and extra attention to many new details. We need to support each other while we support our associates with the transition.”

Tim Meeker, Director of Corporate Finance at Borgess, presented areas of Finance that will be impacted by Symphony, such as travel and expense reimbursement, treasury and cash management, and accounts payable. Other items he discussed included the phased-in elimination of petty cash, invoices, checks and inquiries processed at the Ministry Service Center, and the consolidation of all banking and credit cards into three banks.

The Human Resources presentation was led by Laura Lentenbrink, Vice President

of Human Resources at Borgess, and by Pete Krueger, Administrative Director of Operations, who discussed human resource policy changes, implementation dates and HR organizational structure to support Symphony.

HR changes, they said, are scheduled to be implemented as early as July 2013 and will continue through deployment. Some changes have already been implemented in preparation for Symphony, such as tran-sitioning to electronic paychecks, align-ment of Paid-Time Off accrual rates, and utilization of Workforce Manager and the Employee Self-Service Kiosk. Associates can also expect numerous changes in the future, including a transition to Sympho-ny’s two-week pay cycle, a work week that will begin at midnight on Sundays, and standardizing health and wellness benefits throughout Borgess Health.

Dan Zeitler, Director of Operations with The Resource Group, LLC, an Ascension Health Alliance Subsidiary, spoke on Supply Chain preparations. The prepara-tions, he said, are already well into transi-tion on such issues as compliance on the issuance of product purchase orders (POs), and centralized contracting for the entire system to leverage buying power. Among the challenges Supply Chain must address involve help in identifying remaining contracts, vendor contracts not on pur-chase orders, and standardized inventory management at all locations.

A PowerPoint presentation on Symphony from the March 4 meeting is available for viewing by visiting the Borgess Health Intranet at bhahome.bmc.borgess.com. Anyone with questions on Symphony can also email the Borgess Symphony Com-mand Center at symphony@borgess.com. Responses to inquiries will be handled within 48 hours.

Symphony Leadership Update meeting

Laura Lentenbrink, Vice President of Human Resources, Borgess Health, discusses HR Symphony deployment at the LEC Auditorium on March 4.

Free Financial Wellness SeminarsThe Hantz Group will offer a series of complimentary workshops to Borgess Associates on Financial Planning Tuesday, March 19, and on Estate Planning Basics on Tuesday, March 26, in Room 123 of the Law-rence Education Center. Registration is required. The workshops are free to Borgess Associates.

The Financial Planning session will cover budgeting, asset protection, retirement strategies and more. The Estate Planning session will cover the basics of estate planning, including avoiding common mistakes, maxi-mizing gifts to loved ones, wills and trusts. Seating is limited, and lunch is provided. Register in advance by call-ing the Human Resources Call Center at (269) 226.8400 or by email at shelly.mccaul@borgess.com.

Financial Planning Tuesday, March 19, LEC 123Three Sessions to choose from:

11 AM • Noon • 1 PM

Estate PlanningTuesday, March 26, LEC 123Three Sessions to choose from:

11 AM • Noon • 1 PM

Standard Precautions and Bloodborne Pathogens moduleThe Standard Precautions and Bloodborne Pathogens module is due March 31, 2013. This module is now available for all Borgess Health associates who currently use Ascen-sion Health University to complete their mandatory safety training. The module must be completed between March 1 and March 31 to comply with OSHA’s 365-day rule for work-place safety training.

Sandie Johnston retiresSandie Johnston is bidding a fond farewell to Borgess after 35 years of service as Cashier in the Business of-fice. Her last day is Friday, March 29, 2013.

A retirement party for Sandie will be held from 1 to 3 pm, Wednesday, March 27, in Room 122 at the Lawrence Education Center. “We’re getting together to thank Sandie for being a fabulous addition to the Borgess family,” said Brooke Heiple, Patient Access Manager.

What is Sandie’s immediate retirement plan? Alaska! She plans to take a three-month adventure in the 49th state with her husband and best friend, Mike.

“It’s been my pleasure to have worked with so many wonderful people,” said Sandie. “The patients and Borgess associ-ates have made my experience here feel like a second home.”

A family practice veteran, with medical roots on the

east side of the state, has come to south-west Michigan and is open for business.

Gary Smothers, DO, is the newest member of Borgess Lee Medical Group (BLMG). His practice is located at the BLMG clinic in the Don Lyons Health Center, across the street from Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. Dr. Smothers is the latest member to join an experienced team of high-quality health care providers working to improve the health and well-being of individuals residing in Dowagiac and surrounding counties.

“I am thrilled to be part of an outstand-ing medical team at Borgess Lee Medical Group,” said Dr. Smothers. “Borgess has a strong reputation as a holistic, innova-tive and high-performance regional health care system. It feels good to be on the

southwest side of Michigan where I can help Borgess-Lee connect and partner with regional patients in health for their life’s journey.”

Dr. Smothers most recently operated a family practice at the McLaren Regional Medical Center in Flint where he served for 24 years. Before joining McLaren, Dr. Smothers operated a family practice for four years in Flint with the Blue Care Network of East Michigan. He also held an academic position as an assistant clini-cal professor from 1985 to 1989 in the College of Human Medicine at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Dr. Smothers is board certified by the American Board of Family Practice and has a Michigan State Medical License. He is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and is also a member of the American Osteopathic Association.

The first in the 2013 series of CEO Forums took place recently at locations throughout Borgess Health: Borgess-Pipp Hospital, Borgess at Woodbridge Hills, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, Rever-ence Home Health & Hospice, Borgess Gardens and Borgess Medical Center.

Richard Felbinger, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer, Borgess Health, presented a health care financial report that showed improvement in January actual year-to-date operating income of slightly more than $10 million over the YTD budget of $9.7 million. “We’re doing better than last year,” said Felbinger. “It’s important that we keep our foot on the accelerator.”

Surveys of patient perception from October through December 2012 were presented by Borgess President & CEO Paul Spaude at the forums. The surveys show slight target gains in patient satisfaction ratings of “excellent” at Borgess Medical Center, Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital, Borgess-Pipp Hospital and Borgess at Woodbridge Hills. “Excellent” patient ratings for Borgess Medical Group and Reverence Home Health & Hospice were slightly

down from target goals, with a larger drop at Borgess Gardens.

“Our Borgess Health entities are either exceeding target expectations or have excellent opportunities to score gains in patient satisfaction in upcoming quarters,” said Spaude. “Our patient perception underscores the high quality of health care service we provide, as well as our strong commitment toward serving our patients as partners in health for their life’s journey.”

Spaude also spoke on the future of health care policy and the deployment of Symphony, which officially goes into effect in September 2014. “Our goal with Symphony is to standardize and streamline everything we do,” he said. “Symphony means big changes coming soon for our associates, as well as across Ascension Health.”

Recent AchievementsSpaude noted a number of accomplish-ments achieved by Borgess since the last set of CEO Forums. These include:

� The 2012 United Way of the Battle Creek and Kalamazoo Region Campaign results, for example, showed associates exceeding the Campaign

goal of $521,500, with an actual giving total of $526,000. The Campaign also showed 1,693 Contributors and 96 Leadership Givers.

� Borgess Medical Center was desig-nated as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology.

� Borgess Medical Center received a three-year Echocardiography Accreditation-Adult Transthoracic by Intersocietal Accreditation Commission.

� Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital received the 2012 Spirit of Quality Award from the Michigan Center for Rural Health.

The next Borgess Health CEO Forums will take place in May.

Paul A. Spaude, President & CEO, Borgess Health, speaks with Borgess associates at the LEC Auditorium on March 1.

Borgess holds the year’s first CEO Forums

Gary Smothers, DO, joins Borgess-Lee Medical Group

Borgess Annual Heart Walk 2013

Supporters of the Annual Heart Walk are like postal carriers: They come out rain or shine.

The American Heart Association holds its annual event on Saturday, April 27, at Arcadia Creek Festival Place in downtown Kalamazoo. To help raise money or join a team, please contact Kimberly Earnshaw at (269) 808.2783 or email her at kimberly.earnshaw@heart.org. Kimberly will also be in the Borgess Cafeteria from 11am until 1 pm every Tuesday and Thursday to answer questions and help sign up Heart Walk participants.

Some of them are faster than a running IV. Others can leap a nursing station in a single bound.

They are the nurses of Borgess Health. The Seventh-Annual Friends of Borgess Nursing (FOBN) celebration will again recognize the nurses who do heroic deeds every day during two upcoming events that are designed to continue the healing mission of nurses through support of a special endowment fund.

The first FOBN celebration is a silent auction that will be held from 8 am to 5 pm, Wednesday, April 24, 2013, in the Borgess Medical Center Cafeteria and at Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital. At the auction, bidding will take place on more than 20 gift baskets containing several valuable gifts and gift certificates from area businesses. The organizers’ goal is to raise $4,800 from the auction which is also open to the public.

The second and main FOBN event is the awards dinner. “Honoring the Superhe-roes Who Don’t Wear Capes” will be held at 5 pm, Tuesday, May 7, at the Fetzer Center on the campus of Western Michi-gan University. Miller Johnson, Attorneys and Counselors, will again be the dinner’s major sponsor. The awards ceremony will honor recipients of the Rising Star Award, Excellence in Clinical Practice Awards, Nursing Leadership Awards, Sisters of St. Joseph Legacy Award, and Friends of Borgess Nursing Certification grants.

The awards dinner is $75 per person, and reservations must be made by April 30.

Funds raised through both of these events will go to the FOBN Endowment Fund. The funds will be used to continue recognizing nursing excellence at Borgess, and to support future nursing education and scholarships.

“Everyone knows nurses are superheroes; like Superman or Wonder Woman, they save lives,” said Tony McDonnell, Chief Development Officer, Borgess Foundation. “The Friends of Borgess Nursing Endowment Fund supports nursing education, research and certification that enable our nurses to enhance and redefine their critical role within health care. Our nominees and recipients are to be congratulated for aspiring to, and achieving, success in their professional and personal endeavors. They are, indeed, super!”

Since the first awards dinner in 2007, $198,000 has been raised for the endowment fund, which has recognized 76 Borgess nurses and community advocates with awards and scholarships.

Borgess again honors its outstanding nurses

Annual event salutes ‘the superheroes who

don’t wear capes’

Borgess Volunteers will sponsor a Shoe Sale Thursday and Friday,

March 21-22, in Rooms 123/124 at the Lawrence Education Center.

Sale hours are 7 am to 4 pm on March 21, and 7 am to 2 pm on

March 22. Cash, check, credit cards and payroll deduction will be accepted.

All are welcome.

Proceeds benefit the South Lobby renovation project. For information, contact the Borgess Foundation at

(269) 226.8100 or email Kandi Torres at Kandi.torres@borgess.com.

Shoe Sale

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